1. Field of the Invention
This invention relates to movable wall panels used to divide large rooms into smaller rooms, and, in particular, to a switch for intersecting tracks for such movable wall panels.
2. Description of the Related Art
Movable wall panel systems are used to divide large areas into smaller areas or rooms. Typically, wall panels are suspended by trolleys from a track which resides within the room's suspended ceiling so that the track system does not interfere with the room's aesthetic appearance. Many installations required the flexibility to either stack the panels in alternate positions and/or to move the walls to form different wall panel configurations.
An example of a track intersection for wall panels having multiple paths through which the panels may travel is disclosed in U.S. Pat. No. 4,555,828. Each wall panel includes a retainer which corresponds in height to one of the guide rails of a guide plate placed at the track's intersection. Thus, specific panels are set up to move in a particular direction at the intersection. Similarly, U.S. Pat. No. 5,016,318 discloses a track intersection having diverter blades which are engaged by diverter pins connected to the wall panel's trolley to make certain that a particular wall panel moves through the intersection in a proscribed direction. The guiding systems of U.S. Pat. Nos. 4,555,828 and 5,016,318 do not provide the user the flexibility to move panels in any direction once it reaches the intersection as no mechanism is provided to select the desired track direction once the retainer height or diverter pin placement has been established. Thus, it is desirable to provide a switch which allows each wall panel to move through the intersection in any direction without requiring modification of the trolley from which the panel is suspended.
Selectable track switches are available in a variety of configurations. For example, U.S. Pat. No. 4,336,757 discloses a manually actuated track switch which permits a curtain suspending from the track to be moved through a track intersection in one of two available directions, depending on the position of the switch. Specifically, the track intersection includes a slider switch which is movable between two positions. Essentially, the switch moves a preformed track portion to direct the curtain through the selected track path. If implemented for a movable wall panel system, the switch of U.S. Pat. No. 4,336,757 may be utilized to choose a path over which the panels are to travel; however, should the switch be activated when a wall panel trolley or other obstruction is positioned such that the obstruction impedes the movement of the movable track portion, damage to the switch may result. Therefore, it is desirable to provide a track switch which is not damaged should the switch be activated in the presence of such an obstruction. Also, should a wall panel be positioned on that portion of the track not selected and the panel be moved into the track intersection, the wall panel is stopped by the switch which may either damage the switch or the wall panel trolley.
Rotary switches are utilized in the track system of U.S. Pat. No. 4,642,947 to permit wall panels to be moved from a primary track onto a set of storage tracks which are parallel to the main path over which the panels traverse. This invention does not provide a means for selecting the path direction, but rather provides a means for moving panels from a selected path into a stored position.
Track switching devices have been developed for tracks located within the floor such as may be desirable for an air-cushioned vehicle. A manual switch is disclosed in U.S. Pat. No. 3,340,822, for example, to allow the operator of a vehicle to actuate a switch located on the vehicle to choose the path direction through the track intersection. Such an approach is inefficient when considered for use with movable wall panels suspended from a track located in the ceiling as many successive panels are likely to be moved along the same path to form a wall on that path's track. It is preferable, therefore, to provide a switch affecting the track intersection rather than requiring that a switch on each panel be actuated.
An electrically actuated switch for a track located within the floor is illustrated in U.S. Pat. No. 4,924,776. In this system, a guide pin comprised of electromagnetic material is disposed on the front of the vehicle and electromagnetic devices are located proximate the track intersection such that actuation of certain electromagnetic devices attracts the vehicle's guide pin toward a particular path. If implemented for a movable wall panel system suspended from a track in the ceiling wherein each panel is of substantial weight, such a switching mechanism requires that some portion of the panel's trolley be composed of an electromagnetic material--an undesirable expense--and also requires that significant power to be supplied to the track's electromagnetic devices to move the heavy wall panels. It is desirable to provide an electrically actuated track switch for movable wall panels which is inexpensive to manufacture and to maintain.
Various movable wall panel manufacturers provide to its customers an electrically actuated track switch similar to the track switch disclosed in U.S. Pat. No. 4,336,757. Specifically, power is provided to move a movable track portion between selectable positions. Once a wall panel has moved forward through the track intersection wherein a single track path branches into two or more track paths, these track switches require that a user change the switch position in order to move a wall panel back through the track intersection. If the user does not change the switch position prior to moving the panels "backward" through the intersection, significant damage to the switch may result. The switch may be rendered inoperable and significant repair costs may be incurred. It is desirable to provide a track switch which will not be damaged if a panel is moved against the directions established by the switch.
Additionally, existing track switches are only operable when the switch it clear, i.e., when no portion of the wall panel, such as the trolley and dollies from which the panels are suspended from the track, obstructs the switch. If such an obstruction occurs, the switch may be damaged. Therefore, it is desirable to provide an electrically actuated track switch which is not damaged in the event the switch is obstructed by a trolley in the track proximate the switch.